is an art exhibition that takes place at various times throughout the year in Gifu

Gifu, Gifu

is a city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. During the Sengoku period, various warlords, including Oda Nobunaga, used...

, Gifu Prefecture

Gifu Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. The exhibition spaces takes place along the main street between JR Gifu Station

Gifu Station

is a train station operated by Central Japan Railway Company and is located in the heart of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Along with Meitetsu Gifu Station, it is one of the two main rail stations in Gifu City.-History:...

 and the Yanagase

Yanagase

is a downtown covered shopping arcade that serves as the main shopping area in the city of Gifu in Gifu Prefecture, Japan.-History:Yanagase first shot to nationwide fame when Kenichi Mikawa released Yanagase Blues in 1966. Many visitors from throughout Japan came to Gifu to shop here as a result of...

 shopping district.

All of the exhibition pieces are made out of flags measuring 3 m (9.8 ft) in height and 1.8 m (5.9 ft) in width, which are then hung from the arcade over the sidewalks. This was the first flag art event in Japan and has been occurring yearly since 1997.

Outline

The exhibition is held three times throughout the year for different purposes. The first exhibition of the year is the Children's Exhibition in the spring, which is aimed towards elementary and junior high school students in the city. The second exhibition in the Message Exhibition in summer, in which all of the flags focus on an area event or tourist destination. The final exhibition is the Public Exhibition in the fall, during which artists throughout the country submit works in a competition; the head judge is Katsuhiko Hibino (日比野 克彦 Hibino Katsuhiko).

History

In 1996, the city of Gifu completed a covered shopping arcade 6 m (20 ft) and 2 km (1 mi) over its downtown shopping area. To commemorate the event, artwork was hung from flags measuring 3 m (9.8 ft) in height and 1.8 m (5.9 ft) in width. The city decided to continue the event in 1997 with the First Annual Flag Art Exhibition in Gifu. In 2006, the 11th annual exhibition received the grand prize at the Furusato Event Competition.